Petition · past parliament
Temporarily close non-essential retail stores and ensure pay for employees
Rejected
21 signatures
What the petition asks
I am asking the Government to enforce a temporary ban on trading for non-essential retailers, such as clothing shops, during the Coronavirus epidemic. This is to ensure workers are protected from becoming ill or infecting others. These workers should be paid for their time off and keep their jobs.
Retail workers potentially come into contact with hundreds of customers each day. Therefore, the risk of these employees contracting, carrying or spreading Coronavirus is high. Keeping non-essential stores open is not only dangerous to them but to their families.
Those still going into work are scared to do so in a time where collective mental health is already at a low. Do the right thing and close non-essential retail stores until the epidemic passes and ensure employees continue to be paid.
Those still going into work are scared to do so in a time where collective mental health is already at a low. Do the right thing and close non-essential retail stores until the epidemic passes and ensure employees continue to be paid.
Why it was rejected
The UK Government or Parliament was already taking the action it asked for.
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
UK Government website: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more and watch the Committee put questions suggested by petitioners to Government Ministers and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/news/145767/committee-question-deputy-chief-medical-officer-and-ministers-on-coronavirus-response/
Read letters asking further questions of Government Ministers: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/publications/3/correspondence/
NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
UK Government website: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more and watch the Committee put questions suggested by petitioners to Government Ministers and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/news/145767/committee-question-deputy-chief-medical-officer-and-ministers-on-coronavirus-response/
Read letters asking further questions of Government Ministers: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/publications/3/correspondence/
Timeline
| 20 Mar 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 31 Mar 2020 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
21
Status
Rejected
Rejected
31 Mar 2020
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.